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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Massachusetts

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center 2023 Innovations Showcase
Offers descriptions, lessons learned, replication advice, and contact information for 14 transportation projects across the country. Projects cover accessibility, coordination, cross jurisdictional boundaries, equity, healthcare access, and technology. Includes rural projects in Virginia and Massachusetts.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Effects of the Communities that Heal (CTH) Intervention on Perceived Opioid-Related Community Stigma in the HEALing Communities Study: Results of a Multi-Site, Community-Level, Cluster-Randomized Trial
Examines levels of community stigma toward naloxone use, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and people treated for opioid use disorder (OUD), as related to different periods during the Communities that Heal (CTH) intervention. Analyzes survey data from 66 communities across 4 states by rural-urban status regarding their perceptions of OUD. Discusses implications of the intervention for rural communities addressing OUD and stigma.
Author(s): Alissa Davis, Hannah K. Knudsen, Daniel M. Walker, et al.
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 32
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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An 'Unseen' Struggle: Addressing Hoarding Disorder in Rural Communities
Discusses the challenges of identifying and addressing hoarding disorder in rural areas, as well as the impact it can have on the ability to age in place. Highlights resources and strategies that can be effective in rural areas to help address this issue.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Selected Rural Healthcare Facilities in Massachusetts
Shows the state's Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), as well as Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites and short term/PPS (Prospective Payment System) hospitals located in rural areas.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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A Qualitative Study of Systems-Level Factors That Affect Rural Obstetric Nurses' Work During Clinical Emergencies
Evaluates systems-level factors affecting rural obstetric nurses and their care for patients experiencing clinical deterioration from interviews with 11 nurses and physicians at rural hospitals in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Identifies challenges and opportunities related to resource shortages, cooperation in the workplace, conflicting workplace responsibilities, facility policies and procedures, and more.
Author(s): Samantha L. Bernstein, Maya Piccolo, Elisabeth Grills, Kenneth Catchpole
Citation: The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 2024
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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Filling the Gaps: Program Builds Referral and Recovery Services in Western Massachusetts
Features a rural Massachusetts coalition's work to address substance misuse and build sustainable recovery services, with support from the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP). Discusses youth outreach and engagement, stigma reduction activities, facilitating access to services, and more.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Recent Incarceration, Substance Use, Overdose, and Service Use Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural Communities
Compares 2,935 people who use drugs (PWUD) in rural areas of 10 states to evaluate the impact of time since last incarceration on access to treatment and overdose rates. Discusses policy measures that could increase access to and successful completion of treatment for substance use disorders.
Author(s): Daniel B. Hoover, Todd Korthuis, Elizabeth Needham Waddell, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(11), 2342222
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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FY 2023: HRSA's Rural Health Grants – Massachusetts Fact Sheet
HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy investments in Massachusetts in Fiscal Year 2023. Lists grant and cooperative agreement recipients, award amounts, award recipient locations, and congressional district.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Evaluation of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model: Final Report
Evaluates the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, which tests the impact of providing financial incentives to home health agencies in nine states: Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington. Examines how the financial incentives under the model influenced agency behavior. Describes impacts across key outcomes, including service utilization, quality of care, and patient experience, and examines the model's effects on access to care, health equity, and Medicare spending. Explores whether the model had unique impacts on access to home health care in rural areas.
Additional links: Appendices, Findings at a Glance
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, L&M Policy Research
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Improving the Social Determinants of Health in Rural America Through Medicaid Section 1115 Waivers
Policy brief discussing how Medicaid Section 1115 waivers can allow states to modify the social determinants of health in rural areas through pilot programs, delivery system reform, or enhanced benefit packages. Highlights existing Section 1115 waiver programs and recently approved and renewed waivers, as well as challenges related to improving health-related social needs and access to services in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to improve health equity in rural areas through Medicaid programs.
Author(s): Alexandra Zimmerman
Date: 07/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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